Weighing device with bag filling and bag vibrating means



Jan. 4, 1949. w. VREDENBURG 2,458,228

WEIGHING DEVICE WITH BAG FILLING AND BAG VIBRATING MEANS Filed Sept. 1, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Feed IN VEN TOR. Edn'c M Vredenbury AT TORNE Y Jan. 4, 1949. w VREDENBURG 2,458,228

. WEIGHING DEVICE WITH BAG FILLING AND BAG VIBRATING MEANS Filed Sept. 1, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Edric h. l/redenbury l ud -h.

' ATTORNEY i'mmd 4, raga wainmo DEVICE wi'rn BAG mama AND BAG vmnarmo MEANS "Edric w. vreaenbm-g, Berkeley, Calif. A lication September 1, 1944, Serial No. 552,219

' a Claims. (01. zze-ssl This is a continuation in part of my application Serial No. 484,400, filed April 24, 1943, now

Patent Number 2,392,204 of January 1, i946.

This invention relates to chargeweighing and filling machines, particularly one for weighing a charge of a material to be loaded into a'bag. The machine of this invention is particularly suited iorillling that type of container known inthe-art asa valved bag, a term applied to a bag which is closed before filling except for a small filling opening or valve which is closed after illiing. e K

It is in' general the broad object of the invention to'provide a machine which will rapidly and accurately weight a charge ofmaterial while the charge is being loaded by gravity into its final container. This manner of operation reduces the illli'ng time to .a minimum. ,The usual practice in gravity bag filling is 'to fl'rst weigh out the charge and. after it is weighed, discharge the weished charge into a bag. When the bag has been filled and removed a new bag is brought into place. Then and only then is a new charge weighed out. as a consequence, the filling opera-. tion'is comparatively slow. The machine of the present invention enables the weighing and filling operations to be conducted simultaneously.

The machine of the present invention involves and includes the use of a weighing mechanism for supporting an intermediate temporary storage receptacle -or hopper. The hopper includes a spout for discharge of the charge into a container,

' I in balancebearings or pivot blocks 8.

usually ,a valved bag. The hopper and bag are mounted uponand carried by the weighing frame, the loadof the-empty bag and hopper being countel-balanced on the weighing frame so the charge of material in the hopper or in the bag can be weighed. The movement of the weighing frame is employed to control discharge of material from a source "into the hopper, the frame cutting of! discharge when the charge of a desired weight is contained either in the hopper or is in the bag.

The weighing and filling machine described will fill a b ag-in a period which is very short as compared to the period required, by prior machines. I have, foil d h t the weighing-filling period can be further reduced by vibrating the hopper and bag support frame. The vibrator is provided as part of the support means for the bag bottom. when the vibrator is actuated with an empty bag in place, the vibration is impartedtothe frame and speeds up flow from the hopper. As the bag fills, the material in it takes up the vibration and that of the frame is reduced. The effect of this is to-pack the fill in the bag compactlyand to reduce gradually the rate of discharge from the hopper. These two results. follow each other, a very desirable feature enabling the feed to be increased and then reduced while the bag fill is compacted into a tight pack as it is placed in the bag.

.The invention includes other objects and features of advantage, some of which, together with the foregoing, will appear hereinafter wherein the present preferred form of machine of this invention is disclosed.

In the drawing accompanying and forming a part hereof, Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly cut away to illustrate certain details of construction.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the machine shown in Figure 1, while Figure 3 is a section along the line 3-3 01 Figure 2 and showing the bag support and its vibrator. 4

Referring to Figure 1, I have provided a suitable supporting frame indicated generally at 6 for supporting the scale beam or weighing frame The weighing frame has the form and configuration generally shown at 2| in Figure 3 in my Patent 2,314,299. A counterbalance 9 is hung on one end of the frame while a hopper structure generally indicated at ll including a hopper i0- mounted by pivot blocks l2 on pivots I! at the other end of the weighing frame. This type of mounting is shown and described in some detail in my aforesaid patent.

To provide for feed of material, a container i6 is provided above the hopper structure I! in a position to discharge through opening l1 into hopper ID. A movable gate i8 ismounted on shaft i8 and is oscillated across opening I! by handle 20 secured to shaft'iS. Normally handle 20 is rocked counterclockwise (Figure 2) by an operator until lever 22 on shaft is has moved across arcuate face 23 on lever 24 until it drops into notch 28 on arcuate face 23. Y

The lever 24 is hinged intermediate its ends at 21 on a member 28 which is mounted on one side of the frame. The lever 24 is free to rock counterclockwise to admit the end of lever '22 into the notch; its clockwise movement is restricted by an adjustable stop It carried on the I 3 rial into filling spoutgenerally indicated at 84 through! a slot which is not shown but which extends completely across the hopper bottom.

' The spout 84 projects angularly across the hopper to direct fiow downwardly through its discharge end 31 into a suitable container. In Figure 2 I have shown the-spout in its discharge position. The upper end 38 of the spout prefer- I ably extends beyond the hopper and open to the atmosphere to enable a very high rate of discharge to be maintained from the hopper through the spout and into a container.- I

To support a positioned bag during filling, plates 4| are secured on each side of the hopper structure ll. Arms 42 are connected to the plates, the arms depending from the plates to support a rest generallydndicated at 43 for a bag. The distance between the rest 43 and the spout 34 is adjusted to suit the size of the container being filled. This is achieved in the machine shown by providing sidearms 48 on each side ofthe rest and connecting these by removable bolts 41 at desired points. The ends of arms 42 'are guided by hinged links 4! connected to the arms and to the frame 8 to prevent the hopperstructure and the rest from swinging about pivots I3,

while allowing vertical movement.

In accordance with this invention, rest 43 includes two bag support plates 1|. Each plate is mounted upon and is movable by a suitable vibrator means generally indicated at 12. I have utilized an electrical vibrator operating atsevera] hundred vibrations per second withsuccess.

Different speeds and various vibratory means can be utilized and that shown is merely typical, air.-

the front of hopper in. One end of the bell crank BI is formed as a handle while the other end 58 is faced with rubber 51 and is curved to.

tension 88 on the movable portion and rocks it counterclockwise into, open position. The flat duck-bills" quickly spread open the valve into 1 which they have been inserted.

The assistance of the vibratory means to the feed and to compact the bag fill is not confined to the particular hopper feed disclosed and various other gravity or positive feeding means can be utilized as can other bags and bag retainers.

In operation, with the vibrator operating, a bag .in position and a supply of material available-in container it, an operator rocks the handle 20 to latch the gate 18 open.v Material flows freely into spout vibrating less and less.- This compacts the bagged material and slows the feed as the bag game. When the weight of material in the hopper and in the bag equals that to be weighed out, or

sion 3| moves lever 24 to release le've'rj22. The gate then swings shut. The material continues 1' to flow from the hopper Ill but since most of it This" includes bell crank Bi mounted at 62 between angle irons l3 securedon fit over the valve portion of a bag, and hold it securely against the spout. To hold the bell crank in bag retaining position, a toggle 58 is connected between the handle portion of the bell crank and the angle irons 53. This toggle is read ily broken by; an operator rocking handle. 54 clockwise to release abag, the toggle rocking inwardly to permitthe bell crank to move. When another bag is positioned and handle 54 is rocked counterclockwise? the toggle moves into its-lock ing position, that shown in Figure 2.

To. facilitate positioning and filling of a valved bag, spout 34 is made with a fixed portion 8i and a movable portion 62 hinged on the hopperat 83 and biased to engage the fixed portion and close the openingv in the hopper by its weighted and 68.

The two spout portions fittogether-snugly. when die 54 controls the spout opening and closing,

levers 64 being hinged at 52 and-extending in front of the handle.- When the handle is raised .to permit a bag to be inserted in place, the

weighted end 66 of the movable portion causes the lower portion to move into the dotted line postantially littleload is on the frame-14 and which mechanism has already enteredthe bag, little further time is required before the bag can be removed and'another placed in position. The operator then removes the bag after moving handle 64' to release position. Usually the vibrator is operated continuously However, if desired, a switch mechanism can be included which is operated oil. the

weighing frame as in my Patent No. 2,314,299to.

the bag engages the plates, and tends to jam down between them. This ensures an efilcient transfer of the vibratory movement to the bag and its contents as the bag fills.

The frame 14 is mounted on rods 18.. These are secured to arms I? which extend from side arms .46. Springs 18 are provided between. the frame 14 and ends 19 on the rods while springs 81 are provided-between arms I1 and the-frame .'|4,' a flexible and resilient mounting which will trans mit vibration to the hopper and spout when subwill transmit a greater degree ofvibration to the frame I4 as springs Bl'are compressed.

' Instead of using a hopper constructed to discharge into a bag by gravity, onecan use additional means to assist flow from the hopper to the bag. For example, one can employ the feeder shown in the Augustin Patent bearings ous d frame, a scale ,beamresting on said balance b rings, a feeding hoppersupported at one end of said" scalebeam and'having. an

' outlet. a frame suspended from said hopper,

sition of Figure 2, the closed position. When the handle 54 is moved to clamp a-bag in place, roller carried by said last mentioned frame for supporting engagement with the bottom of a bag 81 positioned between the lovers ilengages ex- 7I5 g 4 bag bottom support meansrsaid means for securing a bag'to said outlet, means last mentioned frame, scale beam and said hopper simultaneously to facilitate discharge of material from said hopper into a bag and to pack the material in a bag supported between said hopper and said bag bottom support means.

2. In a machine for filling bags and similar receptacles, a supporting frame, spaced balance bearings on said frame, a scale beam resting'on said balance bearings, a feeding hopper supported at one end of said scale beam and having an outlet, a frame suspended from said hopper, means carrledby said last mentioned frame for supporting the bottom of a bag positioned for filling through said outlet, and means supported on said bag bottom support means for vibrating said bag bottom support means, said last mentioned frame, scale beam. and said hopper simultaneously to facilitate discharge of material from said hopper into a bag and to pack the material in a bag supported between said hopper and said bag bottom support means.

3. In a machine for filling bags and similar receptacles, a supporting frame, spaced balance bearings on said frame, a scale beam resting on saidwbalance bearings, a feeding hopper supp rted on said scale beam and having an outlet for filling a bag, a frame suspended from said hopper, a bag bottom support platform on said last mentioned frame including a pair of spaced members positioned to engage opposite sides of a. bag 30 441,431

' 6 bottom, and a vibrating means carried on and beneath said pair of spaced members for vibrating said members, said last mentioned frame, scale beam and. said hopper simultaneously to facilitate discharge of material from said hopper into a bag and to pack the material in a bag supported between said hopper and said bag bottom support means.

EDRIC W. VREDENBURG.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 655,322 Bates Aug. '7, 1900 1,140,867 Bates May 25, 1915 1,258,029 McNeill Mar. 5, 1918 2,004,593 Andreas June 11% 1935 2,034,972 Carlson Mar. 24, 1936 2,101,232 Augustin Dec. 7, 1937 2,141,738 DeBois Dec. 2'1. 1938 2,314,299 -Vredenburg Mar. 16, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 20,975/ Australia Jan. 17, 1935 685,929 Germany Dec. 29, 1939 Great Britain Jan. 20, 1938 

